The Legacy of Amos McLemore’s Civil War Murder: 20th Century Family Stories

There’s an interesting new blog, Across and Back, written by “Red,” a descendant of Amos McLemore who recently made an odyssey to her ancestral home of Jones County, Mississippi, to learn more about the fate of her kinfolk.

The murder of Confederate Major Amos McLemore on October 5, 1863, allegedly by Newt Knight and two of his accomplices, is famous for being the opening shot–literally–for a band of Confederate deserters’ and Unionists’ insurrection against the Confederacy. Major McLemore was visiting the home of Confederate Rep. Amos Deason when intruders entered the home and shot him dead. The reason? McLemore’s efforts to round up local deserters. Shortly thereafter, on October 13, the Knight Company was born, with Newt Knight elected its captain.

That story has been repeated over and over, but the story of what happened to the McLemores after his murder has never been told–hence, Red’s trip back home to try and recover that hazy past. Give Across and Back a visit–you might see someone you know!

The Amos Deason home is located on the corner of Deason and Anderson Streets in Ellisville. Deason St. runs parallel with both U. S. HWY 11 and Interstate 59. Anderson Street may be reached from Hwy. 11.

Thanks for visiting Renegade South. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly a family’s history may be buried, particularly if murder and mayhem are involved. The murder of Amos McLemore is one of many tragic deaths caused by the Civil War.

The murder is described in several books that you may want to read: Rudy Leverett’s Legend of the Free State of Jones, Ethel Knight’s Echo of the Black Horn, and my own Free State of Jones.